JP2015187533A - clean room - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce cost for making temperature and humidity adjustments of air to be supplied to a clean room.SOLUTION: The clean room comprises: a first area having a first atmospheric pressure; a second area located adjacent to the first area and having a second atmospheric pressure lower than the first atmospheric pressure; a first pipe for taking in outside air and supplying it to the first area; and a second pipe for taking in air of the second area and supplying it to the first pipe. The second pipe preferably supplies the air for the second area to the first pipe in a position upstream of a position in which an air conditioner of the first pipe is arranged. In addition, the clean room preferably further comprises an air lock room located adjacent to the second area, and a third area located adjacent to the air lock room and having a third atmospheric pressure higher than the second atmospheric pressure.

Description

  The present invention relates to a clean room.

  A clean room for manufacturing a semiconductor device is adjusted to a positive pressure with respect to an adjacent area. Thereby, it can suppress that air flows in into a clean room from an adjacent area, and can ensure the cleanliness of a clean room.

  The adjacent area is used, for example, as a changing room for an operator to attach and detach dust-free clothing. In such a case, a certain degree of cleanliness is also required in the adjacent area. Therefore, the adjacent area is adjusted to a positive pressure with respect to a second adjacent area further adjacent to the adjacent area, and the clean room is adjusted to a higher positive pressure. Thereby, a high cleanliness is ensured in the clean room, and a certain degree of cleanliness is also secured in the adjacent area.

  External air is introduced into the clean room as described above. Dust and salt are removed from the external air by a filter, temperature and humidity are adjusted, and the outside air is introduced into a clean room. In order to maintain the clean room at a positive pressure, it is necessary to introduce a lot of external air into the clean room, and the energy and cost for adjusting the temperature and humidity of the external air are problematic.

  Patent Document 1 listed below describes that the walls and ceiling of a clean room are formed of hollow panels, the inside of the clean room is set to atmospheric pressure, and the inside of the hollow panel is set to negative pressure. Further, Patent Document 1 describes that a negative pressure chamber is provided at a person's entrance to a clean room. According to this, it is described that it is not necessary to control the inside of the clean room to a positive pressure, and air-conditioned air to be supplied to the clean room can be reduced.

JP 2010-107109 A (FIGS. 1 and 5)

  However, even in the configuration described in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to introduce air-conditioned air into the clean room. Therefore, even in the configuration described in Patent Document 1, the cost of adjusting the temperature and humidity of the external air cannot be reduced sufficiently.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above technical problems. Some aspects of the present invention relate to reducing the cost of adjusting the temperature and humidity of the air supplied to the clean room.

In some aspects of the invention, the clean room includes a first area having a first atmospheric pressure, a second area located next to the first area and having a second atmospheric pressure lower than the first atmospheric pressure, and an exterior. A first pipe that takes in air and supplies it to the first area, and a second pipe that takes in air from the second area and supplies it to the first pipe.
According to this aspect, since the air in the second area having a lower atmospheric pressure than the first area is taken in and supplied to the first area, the cost for adjusting the temperature and humidity of the air supplied to the first area is reduced. be able to.

In the above-described aspect, the air conditioner arranged in the first pipe is further provided, and the second pipe draws the air in the second area at a position upstream of the position where the air conditioner of the first pipe is arranged. It is desirable to supply the first pipe.
According to this, air whose temperature has slightly changed in the second area can be processed again by the air conditioner.

In the above-described aspect, it is desirable that the first area is surrounded by the second area.
According to this, it can suppress that air flows in into the 1st area from the exterior other than the 2nd area.

In the above-mentioned aspect, it may further comprise an air lock chamber located next to the second area, and a third area located next to the air lock chamber and having a third atmospheric pressure higher than the second atmospheric pressure. desirable.
According to this, in addition to being able to lower the atmospheric pressure in the first area as the atmospheric pressure in the second area is lowered, the inflow of air from the third area to the second area can be suppressed by the air lock chamber. .

In the above-described aspect, it is preferable that the first area is surrounded by the second area, and the air lock chamber and the third area are positioned outside the second area surrounding the first area.
According to this, it can suppress that air flows in into the 1st area from an air lock room or the 3rd area.

The top view of the clean room which concerns on embodiment. The graph which shows the atmospheric | air pressure in each area or chamber shown by FIG. FIG. 2 is a side perspective view showing the upper and lower structures of the clean room shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a side perspective view showing the upper and lower structures of the clean room shown in FIG. 1.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail. In addition, this embodiment demonstrated below does not unduly limit the content of this invention described in the claim. Further, not all of the configurations described in the present embodiment are essential as a solution means of the present invention. The same constituent elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

<1. Schematic configuration>
FIG. 1 is a plan view of a clean room according to an embodiment of the present invention. This clean room has a clean area 10, a gray area 11, a buffer area 12, a secondary changing room 13, a primary area 14, and an air lock room 15. Each area or room is separated from each other by walls, ceilings and floors, and the air inside is regulated and managed. Air conditioning and management includes the regulation and management of air temperature, humidity, cleanliness and air pressure. The clean area 10 or the gray area 11 corresponds to the first area of the present invention, the buffer area 12 corresponds to the second area of the present invention, and the secondary changing room 13 corresponds to the third area of the present invention. .

The clean area 10 is a work area where an operator performs various operations such as processing, transportation, inspection, and temporary storage of semiconductor products. The clean area 10 is required to have the highest cleanliness.
The gray area 11 is an area where a manufacturing apparatus 11a for manufacturing a semiconductor product is installed. The gray area 11 is located so as to surround the clean area 10. In the gray area 11, internal air is adjusted and managed separately from the clean area 10 in order to deal with exhaust heat and the like emitted from the manufacturing apparatus 11 a. The gray area 11 is required to have the next highest cleanliness after the clean area 10.

  The buffer area 12 is located surrounding the gray area 11. An air shower chamber 12 a is provided in a part of the buffer area 12. The air shower chamber 12a prevents dust from being brought into the gray area 11 and the clean area 10 by blowing off dust or the like attached to the worker with jet air.

The air lock chamber 15 is located outside the buffer area 12 and next to the air shower chamber 12a.
The secondary changing room 13 is located outside the buffer area 12 and next to the air lock room 15. The secondary changing room 13 is a changing room for an operator to attach and detach dust-free clothes. The secondary changing room 13 is also required to have a certain degree of cleanliness, but may not be as clean as the gray area 11.

  The primary area 14 is an area where an operator prepares for work. The cleanliness required for the primary area 14 is the lowest among the clean area 10, the gray area 11, the buffer area 12, the secondary changing room 13, the primary area 14 and the air lock room 15.

<2. Air pressure in each area or room>
FIG. 2 is a graph showing the atmospheric pressure in each area or chamber shown in FIG.
The clean area 10 is adjusted to have a higher atmospheric pressure than the gray area 11. Thereby, it can suppress that air flows in into the clean area 10 with a high washing | cleaning degree from the gray area 11. FIG. The atmospheric pressure in the clean area 10 or the gray area 11 corresponds to the first atmospheric pressure in the present invention.

  The gray area 11 is adjusted to have a higher atmospheric pressure than the buffer area 12. Thereby, it can suppress that air flows in into the gray area 11 with a high washing | cleaning degree from the buffer area 12. FIG. The air pressure in the buffer area 12 corresponds to the second air pressure in the present invention.

  The secondary changing room 13 is adjusted to have a higher air pressure than the primary area 14. Thereby, it can suppress that air flows in into the secondary changing room 13 with a high washing | cleaning degree from the primary area 14. FIG. The atmospheric pressure in the secondary changing room 13 corresponds to the third atmospheric pressure in the present invention. In FIG. 2, the air pressure in the clean area 10 is illustrated so as to match the third air pressure. However, the clean area 10 only needs to have a certain differential pressure with respect to the gray area 11. The pressure may not be 3 atm.

  In a general clean room, the air shower room is adjusted to a higher atmospheric pressure than the secondary changing room. However, when adjusting the air pressure as (clean area)> (gray area)> (air shower room)> (secondary changing room)> (primary area), the air pressure in the clean area and gray area should be considerably high. Must. Therefore, it is necessary to introduce a large amount of external air into the clean area and the gray area, and energy and cost for adjusting the temperature and humidity of the external air are problematic.

  On the other hand, in this embodiment, the buffer area 12 including the air shower chamber 12a is adjusted to have a lower atmospheric pressure than the secondary changing chamber 13. The air pressure in the buffer area 12 is preferably lower than atmospheric pressure. The air pressure in the clean area 10 and the gray area 11 needs to be higher than that in the buffer area 12, but if the air pressure in the buffer area 12 can be lowered, the air pressure in the clean area 10 and the gray area 11 may be lowered accordingly. it can. Thereby, the energy and cost for performing temperature adjustment and humidity adjustment of external air can be reduced.

  Referring to FIG. 1 again, a door 30 is provided between the gray area 11 and the air shower chamber 12a. A door 31 is provided between the air shower chamber 12 a and the air lock chamber 15. A door 32 is provided between the air lock chamber 15 and the secondary changing room 13. A door 33 is provided between the secondary changing room 13 and the primary area 14.

  The air lock chamber 15 employs a mechanism in which the door 31 and the door 32 do not open simultaneously. That is, the door 31 is configured to be openable and closable when the door 32 is closed, and the door 32 is configured to be openable and closable when the door 31 is closed. Thereby, an operator can go in and out while minimizing the circulation of air between the air shower room 12a and the secondary changing room 13.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the air pressure in the air lock chamber 15 is the same as that in the secondary changing chamber 13 when the door 32 is opened when the door 31 is closed. The air pressure in the air lock chamber 15 is the same as that in the buffer area 12 when the door 31 is opened when the door 32 is closed. If this is repeated, the air in the secondary changing room 13 will flow into the buffer area 12, but since the air is exhausted in the air shower room 12a, the air in the secondary changing room 13 will flow into the gray area 11. Can be prevented.

<3. Intake and exhaust piping>
Referring back to FIG. 1, external air is introduced into the clean area 10 and the gray area 11 through the first pipe 21. The first pipe 21 is provided with a fan 23, a filter 25, and an air conditioner 26. The fan 23 forcibly takes in external air by supplying an air flow to the first pipe 21 and supplies it to the clean area 10 and the gray area 11. The filter 25 removes dust and the like contained in the external air and cleans the external air.

  The air conditioner 26 includes a cooling unit 26a, a heating unit 26b, and a humidifying unit 26c. The cooling unit 26a cools the external air below the dew point and below a predetermined temperature, and reduces the water vapor to a predetermined amount when the amount of water vapor is large. The heating unit 26b heats the external air that has passed through the cooling unit 26a to a predetermined temperature. The humidifying unit 26c gives water vapor to the external air that has passed through the heating unit 26b and adjusts it to a predetermined humidity.

  The buffer area 12 is exhausted by the second pipe 22. A fan 24 is provided in the second pipe 22. The fan 24 forcibly exhausts the air in the buffer area 12 by generating an air flow in the second pipe 22. The second pipe 22 is connected to the first pipe 21 at a position upstream of the position where the filter 25 and the air conditioner 26 of the first pipe 21 are disposed. The air exhausted from the buffer area 12 passes through the filter 25 and the air conditioner 26 disposed in the first pipe 21 and is supplied to the clean area 10 or the gray area 11.

  The air in the buffer area 12 includes air leaking from the clean area 10 and the gray area 11 having a high atmospheric pressure through minute holes or gaps in the wall. Accordingly, it is considered that the air exhausted from the buffer area 12 is closer to the air in the clean area 10 and the gray area 11 than the external air in terms of conditions such as temperature and humidity. By returning the air exhausted from the buffer area 12 to the first pipe 21, the burden on the air conditioner 26 can be reduced, and the energy and cost for temperature adjustment and humidity adjustment can be reduced.

<4. Air circulation in clean room>
3 and 4 are side perspective views showing the upper and lower structures of the clean room shown in FIG. 3 and 4 show a ceiling area 16, a return chamber 17, a utility area 18, and an air circulation area 19. The ceiling area 16 is located above the clean area 10 and the gray area 11. The return chamber 17 and the utility area 18 are located below the clean area 10 and the gray area 11. The air circulation area 19 connects the return chamber 17 and the ceiling area 16 at a position inside the buffer area 12. The utility area 18 is an area in which a power supply device, a chemical solution pipe, and the like are arranged, and is an area that does not require as cleanliness as the clean area 10 or the gray area 11.

  In FIG. 3, the state of the circulation of air entering and exiting the clean area 10 is indicated by arrows. A part of the air introduced from the outside by the first pipe 21 passes through the ceiling area 16 and reaches directly above the clean area 10. This air is blown onto the clean area 10 from directly above by the fan module unit 10a disposed just above the clean area 10.

  The air in the clean area 10 is returned to the ceiling area 16 via the return chamber 17 and the air circulation area 19. A dry coil 17 a is disposed between the return chamber 17 and the air circulation area 19. The dry coil 17a reduces the temperature of the air heated in the clean area 10 to the original predetermined temperature. The air returned to the ceiling area 16 merges with the air newly introduced from the first pipe 21 and is supplied to the clean area 10 again.

  In FIG. 4, the state of the circulation of air entering and exiting the gray area 11 is indicated by arrows. A part of the air introduced from the outside by the first pipe 21 is introduced into the pipe 27 a through the pipe 27. A fan 28 and an air conditioner 29 are disposed between the pipe 27 and the pipe 27a. The fan 28 generates an air flow through the pipe 27 and the pipe 27a. The air conditioner 29 cools the air to a temperature lower than the predetermined temperature. The cooled air is blown from directly above the gray area 11 through the pipe 27a.

  Air in the gray area 11 is introduced into the air circulation area 19 through the return chamber 17. The dry coil 17a disposed between the return chamber 17 and the air circulation area 19 lowers the temperature of the air heated in the gray area 11 to a predetermined temperature. The air lowered to a predetermined temperature merges with the air newly introduced from the first pipe 21 in the air circulation area 19, and is introduced again into the pipe 27.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Clean area, 10a ... Fan module unit, 11 ... Gray area, 11a ... Manufacturing apparatus, 12 ... Buffer area, 12a ... Air shower room, 13 ... Secondary changing room, 14 ... Primary area, 15 ... Air lock room, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 16 ... Ceiling area, 17 ... Return chamber, 17a ... Dry coil, 18 ... Utility area, 19 ... Air circulation area, 21 ... 1st piping, 22 ... 2nd piping, 23, 24 ... Fan, 25 ... Filter, 26 ... Air conditioner, 26a ... cooling unit, 26b ... heating unit, 26c ... humidification unit, 27, 27a ... piping, 28 ... fan, 29 ... air conditioner, 30, 31, 32, 33 ... door.

Claims (5)

A first area having a first atmospheric pressure;
A second area located next to the first area and having a second pressure lower than the first pressure;
A first pipe that takes in external air and supplies it to the first area;
A second pipe that takes in air from the second area and supplies it to the first pipe;
A clean room. Further comprising an air conditioner disposed in the first pipe;
The second pipe supplies the air in the second area to the first pipe at a position upstream of the position where the air conditioner of the first pipe is arranged.
The clean room according to claim 1. The first area is located surrounded by the second area.
The clean room of Claim 1 or Claim 2. An air lock chamber located next to the second area;
A third area located next to the airlock chamber and having a third pressure higher than the second pressure;
The clean room according to claim 1, further comprising: The first area is surrounded by the second area,
The air lock chamber and the third area are located outside the second area surrounding the first area.
The clean room according to claim 4.

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